Dragon boat racers to hit the water (and cancer) this weekend on Garrison Channel

We all get out on the water. That's one thing that connects us, enjoyably so. But we also branch off into our own areas of interest: kayaking, canoeing, rafting, whitewater, flatwater, SOTs, SUPs, fishing, racing, birdwatching, etc.

We all reconnect, however, in another chilling way: We all have lost someone to cancer. For some of us, it's been a distant friend or coworker, or maybe a friend's loved one. For others, it's hit a lot closer to home: grandma, a friend, a cousin, sister, or mom.

This Saturday in Tampa, hundreds of people will be getting together to do something about cancer. May 2 marks the 6th Annual Tampa Bay International Dragon Boat Races, an event put on by the Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Institute.

Seventy teams are expected to turn out from across the United States and Canada. The five-lane race course will cover 450 meters of Garrison Channel. The event's opening ceremonies will start at 8:30. The first race begins at 9 a.m. Each team will race three times over the day.

A breast cancer survivor ceremony will be held during the lunch break to celebrate those who have lost their battle with breast cancer, a disease that affects both women and men.

The Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Institute donates its proceeds to FACTors (Fighting Against Cancer Together), one of several cancer patient support programs in Tampa and the Florida Aquarium.

Click here if you would like to make a donation.

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